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AVRO (.avro)

.avro file signature | application/octet-stream

Apache Avro is a data serialization format developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It is used for storing and exchanging structured records in distributed systems, including Apache Hadoop, Apache Kafka, and other data-processing and analytics applications. Avro is actively maintained and generally considered safe, although serialized data from untrusted sources should still be validated before use, as malformed or malicious inputs can affect software that reads them.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
4F 62 6A 01

Sources: Wikipedia

Extension

.avro

MIME Type

application/octet-stream

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .avro files in Python

Python 
def is_avro(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid AVRO by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x4F, 0x62, 0x6A, 0x01])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(4) == signature

How to validate .avro files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isAVRO(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x4F, 0x62, 0x6A, 0x01]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 4).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .avro files in Go

Go 
func IsAVRO(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x4F, 0x62, 0x6A, 0x01}
    if len(data) < 4 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:4], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/avro
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/avro

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .avro file?

A .avro file is identified by the magic bytes 4F 62 6A 01 at byte offset 0. Apache Avro is a data serialization format developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It is used for storing and exchanging structured records in distributed systems, including Apache Hadoop, Apache Kafka, and other data-processing and analytics applications. Avro is actively maintained and generally considered safe, although serialized data from untrusted sources should still be validated before use, as malformed or malicious inputs can affect software that reads them.

What are the magic bytes for .avro files?

The magic bytes for AVRO files are 4F 62 6A 01 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .avro file?

To validate a .avro file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (4F 62 6A 01) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .avro files?

There is no officially registered MIME type for .avro files. Systems typically use application/octet-stream as a generic fallback when handling this format.

Is it safe to open .avro files?

AVRO (.avro) files are generally safe to open. They are classified as low risk because they primarily contain data rather than executable code. However, always ensure files come from a trusted source.